Tank simulation with wireframe enemy tanks, UFOs and obstacles. Movement and turning is similar to that of a tank: slow as fuck. Once an enemy has you in his sights it's pretty much over.Some of the old cabinets to this game had an awesome, pseudo-3D effect with a graphical overlay you had to look through.

Berzerk

1980

Run and Gun / Maze

Berzerk is a very straight to the point game. Shoot anything that moves and survive as long as you can. Despite having only one real enemy, the game still keeps things fresh and varied with encounters. The fear of accidentally killing yourself by touching walls or robots is very real, and the synthesized voice-acting is very charming and memorable still today. Check it out for a simple but fun action shooting experience.

Blaster

1983

Shoot 'em Up

OH GOD MY EYES. Pilot a space ship in search of paradise through a bunch of rainbow-flavored strobe levels. Joystick action which is better emulated with an actual joystick. Supposedly the envisioned sequel to Robotron: 2084 though it bears little resemblance.

Bosconian

1981

Shoot 'em Up

8-directional movement with a tail gun that allows you to make quick work of enemy squadrons even when running away. Hunt the green enemy space stations to progress through levels and keep your threat level manageable. Red threat level is when the kamikaze pilots start coming out of the woodwork.

Bump 'N' Jump

1982

Action / Driving

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BurgerTime

1982

Puzzle

Make gigantic burgers by dropping ingredients downward and avoiding enemies.

Centipede

1980

Shoot 'em Up

Similar to Space Invaders, but involves bugs and mushrooms instead of shields and aliens.

Defender

1980

Shoot 'em Up

Battle against confusing six-button controls trying to save humanoids from hordes of enemies. Has a "sequel" named Stargate, which is more of the same, but with extra enemies.

Dig Dug

1982

Maze

Tunnel underground and shoot monsters with a spike that fills them up with air until they explode.

Discs of Tron

1983

Action

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Donkey Kong

1981

Platformer

Run and jump through 4 stages to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong. KILL SCREEN COMIN' UP.

Donkey Kong II: Jumpman Returns

2006

Platformer/Mod

A great mod/sequel to the arcade classic, Jumpman Returns features all of the classic elements of the first Donkey Kong with 4 entirely new levels, and "Cutscenes"Gameplay footage can be found here

Frenzy

1982

Run and Gun

Fantastic sequel to Berzerk. A lot of things have been reworked for the better: walls are no longer electrified and instead can reflect bullets or be destroyed, single-sprite robots now come in skeleton and.. uh.. octopus variety, and Otto can be killed! That can be seen as a blessing or a curse, because after he dies he comes back faster than before. Markedly weaker voice work, something that made the original so memorable.

Frogger

1981

Action

Cross the highway and avoid getting splattered.

Galaga

1981

Shoot 'em Up

Shoot aliens. Protip: Get one ship captured and save it, now you have DOUBLE SHOT POWER.

Gorf

1981

Shoot 'em Up

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Gravitar

1982

Shoot 'em Up

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Gyruss

1983

Shoot 'em Up

Save the solar system from great evil as you make your way to Earth!

A fun and unique Konami "tube shooter" (meaning the field of play is akin to a giant abstract tube with the player's ship). Gameplay involves quick reflexes dodging satellites, space lasers, asteroids and all manner of obstacles in the reaches of space while destroying all the enemy ships that are coming after you. This is all done while listening to a radical electronic version of Bach's Toccata and Fugue.

There are many ports of this game, including an excellent NES port with 39 looping stages that take you past Earth and to the Sun (not 24 like the arcade which take you as far as only Earth), a bit of added throwaway plot and an intense end boss at the Sun.

Halley's Comet

1986

Shoot 'em Up

While it may look painfully basic the gameplay is actually quite fun, well worthy of a quick play. You launch from a planet and scroll vertically towards a hollowed out, alien-infested comet. Enemy ships that make it past you damage your home planet for a set percentage, where 100% damage results in a game over. Tiered weapons, erratic enemy patterns and random warp jumps give the game variety.

Spawned a sequel on the Game Gear: Halley Wars.

Joust

1982

Platformer

You're a knight. You joust... ON AN OSTRICH.

Joust is a competitive game, requiring precise movement and momentum to eliminate the ever-increasing throng of enemy knights. Elevation is the only factor in rendering a killing blow. The knight flying above at the point of contact kills the opposing one. Contact on an equal level is a draw, resulting in both bouncing away.

Jungle Hunt

1982

Action

A game where you guide the intrepid, nameless, khaki clad jungle hunter through trials of vine swinging, river swimming, and, uh, jumping over rocks in order to save your female companion from the savages. Lots of the game is reaction/timing based.

Oh, and P.S. you'll never get the damn soundtrack out of your head after the first 30 seconds.

There's also a pirate themed sister-game called Pirate Pete. Pretty much the same thing, just pirate-y.

Kangaroo

1982

Platformer

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Kung Fu Master

1984

Beat 'em up

Aka Spartan-X and Kung-Fu. Kick assholes and save your girlfriend.

Lady Bug

1981

Maze

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Lode Runner

1983

Platformer

Get gold and escape. Dig holes in front of or behind you to trap enemies.

Mario Bros.

1983

Platformer

Collect coins, stun monsters then kick them. Avoid Fireballs. Much more fun in later remixes with 4 players.

Millipede

1982

Shoot 'em Up

Shoot the millipede to bits while collecting magic wands. Don't let it eat all the mushrooms! It's as frenetic and trippy as it sounds.

Motos

1985

Action

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Mr. Do!

1982

Maze

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Ms. Pac-Man

1981

Maze

If you've played Pac-Man, then you've played Ms. Pac-Man. Fortunately, it's just as good as its predecessor.

Nibbler

1982

Maze

Let the snake eat the food without running into itself or the walls.

Pac-Man

1980

Maze

Eat pills in a dark room and chase ghosts while listening to repetitive techno music.

Pole Position

1982

Racing

Drive through a course to get the best time. A lot harder than it sounds.

Q*bert

1982

Puzzle / Platformer

Jump on every panel to make them the same color. Avoid enemies by jumping away or jumping on flying saucers.

Qix

1981

Action

Try to make a picture by clearing away the cover sheet with careful navigation.

I AM SINISTAR. BEWARE, I LIVE. Shoot aliens and asteroids to collect crystals and stop a planet-sized monster from eating you.

Space Invaders

1978

Shoot 'em Up

You pilot a mobile cannon tasked to repel an alien invasion. As you kill aliens the music speeds up and they start to descend faster, with the last one styling all over your cannon-y ass. Good luck sniping that swift bastard.

One of the most iconic games on the arcade which helped bring video gaming into the limelight. If you've been living under a rock there's been multiple remakes which are simply AMAZING.

Vector tube-based shmup which utilized a paddle controller. You're a crab-shaped spaceship. There's a bunch of monsters coming up at you from the depths of god-knows-where. Scroll your wheel, slide around the tube, and blast that shit back to oblivion. Also, watch out for pulsars and those goddamn fuseballs.

One of the most addictive shooters of its day. There's not much plot aside from "SHOOT THE LITTLE BUGGERS", but the original designer says it was going to be a sort of first-person Space Invaders until he had this trippy nightmare about monsters coming out of a hole. Take from that what you will.
Has a few direct remakes and ports, like Tempest 2000. Geometry Wars could be considered a mix of this and Robotron 2084.

Tutankham

1982

Maze

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Vanguard

1981

Shoot 'em Up

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Wizard of Wor

1980

Action / Maze

Pac-Man with guns. Blast through a labyrinth with weird looking creatures while hunting the elusive Wizard of Wor. Snipe the Worluk/Wizard before they escape to start a double score bonus stage. Shit gets real on the Worlord levels.Allows for bro-op if you both are well coordinated.